Victorine's Valentine Day' at Hagley Museum

By DENNY DYROFF, For the Journal Register News Service

Friday, February 8, 2013

One of the area’s traditional — and most popular — Valentine’s Day activities is the annual event at Hagley Museum known as “Victorine’s Valentine Day.” The historical site in northern Delaware hosts this special event each year in mid-February to celebrate the holiday that is dedicated to lovers.

On Feb. 9 from 12:30-4 p.m., Hagley will host its 2013 edition of “Victorine’s Valentine Day.” Victorine’s party will be held at Blacksmith Hill, the restored 19th-century workers’ community where the lives of the du Ponts and the people who worked for their company connected.

Here, a woman named Victorine du Pont Bauduy (1792-1861), the eldest daughter of the DuPont Company founder, spent time as superintendent of the Brandywine Manufacturers’ Sunday School after her bittersweet romance ended. During Victorine’s Valentine Day, “Victorine” will tell her story, as well as other love stories from the 19th century.

Other activities include crafts and activities such as sampling of gingerbread and making a Victorian Valentine. In the Brandywine Manufacturers’ Sunday School, visitors can experience what school was like in the nineteenth century.

A special exhibit featuring antique Valentine cards and chocolate-themed treasures from Hagley’s collection will be on display. All activities, including designing a candy bar wrapper and snacking on hot chocolate and gingerbread hearts, are included in regular admission.

Throughout the months of February and March, “Dollar Days” are back at Hagley. Once again, the historic site in northern Delaware is offering a special which features $1 admission to Hagley Museum and Library on Sundays in February and March. Families will be able to check out Hagley’s current exhibits, explore demonstrations in the Powder Yard, tour the du Pont ancestral home, and enjoy walks along the scenic riverside.

During the Civil War, the DuPont Company produced almost half of the gunpowder purchased for use by the Union army. The exhibit “An Oath of Allegiance to the Republic: The du Ponts and the Civil War” explores the roles played by several du Pont family members, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., and the local community in response to the Civil War.

The best place to start a day at Hagley is at the visitor center. Exhibits and dioramas document the Brandywine Valley’s early eras as well as the history of the DuPont Company.

Visitors who go outside can walk along the Brandywine to see how water power was used to run the mills. Stops along the walk include a line shaft, a dam, a millrace and a restored 19th-century machine shop. Guests can also learn how gunpowder was tested using a device called an eprouvette.